Not playing! Groin strain! Another NBA superstar falls

The current offensive and defensive rhythm in the NBA is so fast that even a Greek monster cannot withstand it. Antetokounmpo suffered a slight strain on his left groin and will be absent for one to two weeks.

So far this season, Antetokounmpo has played in 13 games, averaging 31.8 minutes per game, scoring 31.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 3.5 turnovers and 1.0 blocks. His field goal percentage is as high as 62.9%. He averages 0.7 three-pointers per game with a 50% field goal percentage. He leads everyone in scoring inside with 21.7 points per game, followed by Jokic (16.3 points).

Because of Lillard's departure, Antetokounmpo has more ball rights this season. So far, his usage rate of 35.4% ranks second in the league, second only to Doncic's 36.4%. The average assists per game has reached a career high. The problem is that he cannot lead the Bucks to make a difference. The team currently ranks 11th in the Eastern Conference with 8 wins and 7 losses, and has even fallen out of the play-off area.

Before the start of this season, although the outside world did not have high expectations for the Bucks, they believed that they could at least lock in a playoff spot in the weak Eastern Conference. However, the actual situation is still worse than imagined. Even reaching the play-offs is a problem?

If the Bucks fail to make the playoffs this season, this may be the straw that breaks the camel's back. You must know that Antetokounmpo has hinted in public many times before that he wants to leave and join a championship team. Shams, the whistleblower, once reported that if Antetokounmpo leaves the team, his only hope is to play in New York. In this regard, negotiations between the Bucks and the Knicks were facilitated during the offseason this summer, but to no avail.

Antetokounmpo's current contract expires in the summer of 2028. This season's salary is 54.13 million U.S. dollars, and the total salary for the next two seasons is about 120 million U.S. dollars. He can refuse to exercise the player option and enter the free market as early as the summer of 2027. Of course, the Bucks do not want to see him return to free agency anyway, otherwise they may lose him in vain by then, which will be a complete loss.

In short, Antetokounmpo's future is very worthy of attention. Once he officially transfers, it means that the NBA championship pattern will usher in earth-shaking changes.